20251110
From today's featured article
Merenre Nemtyemsaf I (died c. 2272 BC) was an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh, the fourth king of the Sixth Dynasty. He ruled Egypt for six to eleven years in the early 23rd century BC, toward the end of the Old Kingdom period. He was the son of his predecessor Pepi I Meryre and queen Ankhesenpepi I, and was in turn succeeded by Pepi II Neferkare, who might have been his son or less probably his brother. Pepi I may have shared power with Merenre in a co-regency at the very end of the former's reign. Merenre is frequently called Merenre I by Egyptologists. Merenre's rule saw profound changes in the administration of the southern provinces of Egypt, with a marked increase in the number of provincial administrators and a concurrent steep decline in the size of the central administration in the capital Memphis. A pyramid complex was built for Merenre in Saqqara, and likely completed prior to his death. (Full article...)
Did you know ...
- ... that Emilie Louise Flöge did not like Gustav Klimt's 1902 portrait of her (pictured)?
- ... that the gender-flipped story of Warriors was partly inspired by the Gamergate harassment campaign?
- ... that Liechtensteiner athlete Oskar Ospelt was a two-time Swiss national champion?
- ... that the New Coimbra Fort was founded by 245 men in 15 canoes, guided by an elderly Indian man?
- ... that George Lutfallah sought to use his wealth to become king of Lebanon, viewing his presidential candidacy as a stepping stone to that goal?
- ... that Kirkus Reviews called Jenny Price's environmentalist book Stop Saving the Planet! a "fun introduction to a serious topic"?
- ... that Ivete da Graça Correia was once called "the public face of the São Tomé anti-drug campaign"?
- ... that after a Florida family moved into a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, one acquaintance said, "How could you let an atheist design your house"?
- ... that Caribou Legs once ran more than 7,000 kilometres (4,300 mi) to raise awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women?
In the news
- American molecular biologist James Watson (pictured), co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, dies at the age of 97.
- A fire in a retirement home in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, leaves at least 13 people dead.
- UPS Airlines Flight 2976 crashes after takeoff from Louisville, Kentucky, United States, killing at least 14 people.
- The United States federal government shutdown becomes the longest in U.S. history.
On this day
- 1202 – Fourth Crusade: The Siege of Zara, the first attack on a Catholic city by Catholic crusaders, began in present-day Zadar, Croatia.
- 1975 – SS Edmund Fitzgerald (ship banner depicted) sank in Lake Superior, claiming all 29 of her crew's lives.
- 1995 – Writer and environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others from the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People were executed by the Nigerian military regime led by Sani Abacha.
- 2020 – The British government announced that it had removed the last land mine from the Falkland Islands, laid by Argentine forces during the 1982 Falklands War.
- Władysław Umiński (b. 1865)
- Richard Burton (b. 1925)
- Halina Reijn (b. 1975)
- Klaus Roth (d. 2015)
From today's featured list
The Billboard Latin Music Award for Reggaeton Album of the Year was an honor presented annually at the Billboard Latin Music Awards, a ceremony that recognizes "the most popular albums, songs, and performers in Latin music, as determined by the actual sales, radio airplay, streaming and social data that shapes Billboard's weekly charts". According to the magazine, the category was "created in response to the growing number of charting titles from the genre" of reggaeton. The accolade was first presented at the eleventh Billboard Latin Music awards in 2005 to Puerto Rican singer Daddy Yankee (pictured) for his album Barrio Fino (2004). Yankee also received the accolade at the 2006 and 2008 award ceremonies for his albums Barrio Fino: En Directo (2005) and El Cartel: The Big Boss (2007). Don Omar became the second and only other artist to win the award at the 2007 Billboard Latin Music Awards, at whih his album King of Kings (2006) was honoured. The category was discontinued and replaced in 2009 with the Billboard Latin Music Award for Latin Rhythm Album of the Year. (Full list...)
Today's featured picture
Buddha's hand (Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis), also known as the fingered citron, is a citron variety whose fruit is segmented into finger-like sections, resembling those seen on representations of the Buddha. Like other citrons, the plant is a shrub or small tree with long, irregular branches covered in thorns. It has large pale green oblong leaves and white flowers. The fruit's fingers contain only the white part of the fruit and sometimes a small amount of acidic pulp, but many of them are completely juiceless and some are seedless. The fruit is used for its aroma, as a zest in food and drinks, as candied fruit, and in traditional medicine. It is also sometimes used as a religious offering in Buddhist temples and has been sold as a Halloween novelty under the trademark "goblin fingers".
Photograph credit: Kaldari


